Julio Jones refuses to gloat after his 189-yard game answers Patrick Peterson's callout

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones runs over Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson during the first half of an NFL game on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014, in Atlanta.

(AP Photo)

Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians had some advice for his Pro Bowl cornerback, Patrick Peterson, after a 29-18 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

"You better watch out when you call people out," Arians said. "You better be ready to play. If you want to call him out, call him out, but don't give up ... a career day."

Last week, Peterson said he looked forward to the challenge of covering Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones, something he also did in college when Jones played at Alabama and Peterson played at LSU. In college and the NFL, Peterson and Jones had opposed each other in four previous games, and Peterson said he thought he'd gotten the better of the matchup more times than not.

"He won a couple battles; I won a couple battles," Peterson told Atlanta media in a conference call on Wednesday. "But I think, for the most part, I won the majority of those battles. An incredible athlete, love the battle and the competition between us. It just brings out the best in both of us."

It really brought out the best in Jones on Sunday. He recorded a career-high 189 receiving yards on 10 catches, including a 32-yard TD reception.

"People call you out, man," Jones told espn.com after the game. "It's part of the game. People talk trash all the time. But I'm not a guy to talk and down-talk and say I got the better of someone because you're going to have to face a person again, and there's always ups and downs. You're not going to win them all."

When asked about Peterson's remarks last week, Jones merely pointed out his team had won three of the four games against Peterson's. After the game, he declined to gloat over his Sunday performance when given the chance by the reporters gathered around his locker.

"It's just the way I was brought up," Jones said. "Opportunity. I'm the type of person that if I get an opportunity, I try to take full advantage of it. You don't want to miss your blessings by talking crap to someone because you might need them later on in life. That's just how I was raised."

Peterson took the disappointing day in stride.

"He won the matchup today," Peterson said. "Cy Young winners give up home runs. At the end of the day, you have to bounce back."

In the five games in which the teams of Jones and Peterson have squared off, Jones has 34 receptions for 541 yards and three touchdowns.

Without discounting Peterson's abilities, Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan said after the game what he said before the game: The Falcons will take one-on-one coverage against Jones any day.

"He's a very good player, but we think Julio is a really good player, too," Ryan said at his postgame press conference. "He had a great game today. He went out and competed really hard and made some really good catches for us. I thought he stepped up when we needed him to. ... In order to be an explosive football team, in order to make plays when you need them, you've got to hit them when you get one-on-one. I thought Julio did a great job at making some great plays -- in traffic, too. Patrick Peterson had some good coverage, but Julio showcased what he can do."

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The big game sent Jones past 1,000 receiving yards for the season for the second time in his career. Jones had 1,198 receiving yards in 2012, when he earned a Pro Bowl spot. Last season, Jones missed 11 games because of a fractured foot.

In 2014, Jones has 1,169 receiving yards. His 82 receptions are a career-high. The former Foley High School star ranks third in the NFL in receptions and in receiving yards.